New Year’s Bible Study

Yesterday at breakfast we were all sitting around the table – my husband and four kids, three of whom were home for Christmas, and I – and I asked everyone a question, “If you could choose one goal for the year and knew you would complete it by the end of the year, which goal would you choose?”

It was interesting to hear the answers. So often we don’t set goals because we know from past experience that we never complete them anyway. This is a mistake. The problem isn’t in the setting of the goals. The problem is in how we go about accomplishing them.

Usually we set goals in our areas of weakness. We want to change. But in our areas of weakness, it’s almost impossible to say, “Hey, I’m going to change now,” and then go about our business doing everything we said we would do.

In those areas, we need to do what the Bible tells us to do if we want to change: We need to renew our minds (Romans 12:1-2). If you’d like to work on a goal that is difficult for you this year–one of those goals you’ve never been able to accomplish in the past–here is a Bible study that will help: the New Years Resolution Bible study. Click on the links below for the different studies (I posted these earlier in the year).

it’s funny how it works that way, isn’t it? My main goal is also to seek God first. And since writing continues to be my biggest struggle in the seek-God-first area, I’ll continue to make that my biggest renewing-of-the-mind project. I can see great gains over the last year, but I’m not living in victory consistently yet.

Thanks, Dan. I love your goal. That would be great to release another book next year or something else. There are so many options, aren’t there? I have so many ideas that I’m trying to decide what project to work on next. I also have the goal of releasing another book this year.

Hi Barb. Came by way of Kari’s blog. My one goal is fairly huge in scope. I am preaching through the Gospels this year (in no particular order except by book per month i.e. January/Matthew; February/Mark, etc). I’m calling it “The Great Adventure: A Year with Jesus.” I’m hoping and praying for the people (and me) to have totally revamped lives by the end of the year.

Wow, I love that idea. You’ll be able to cover a lot of ground that way. My husband and daughters and I are starting our second year of the read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year goal. This year we’re going to use a chronological reading program. I’ve really enjoyed that. But I think it would be fun to look at one book per month in church.

That’s great, Dave. Excited to see how that goes. I’ve been consistently renewing my mind for 12 years or so now on a pretty much daily basis and I love it – God has used it to break strongholds, draw me closer to Him, and even get me more excited about the Bible back in the days when I wasn’t excited about it. It’s a great discipline!

You are so awesome. I can’t wait to click through the links you’ve given.

I’m still working on last years goals. I’m hoping to be published this year. But that’s a “small” goal compared to how my heart seeks to know more of God. I know that in order to have more of God I must decrease. That’s painful, that’s long and I will certainly need to renew my mind.
Each day I’m coming to realize I need more of Him than what I knew the day before. So many challenges lie ahead and I know I can only do them through the power of God in me. On my own, I can do nothing worthy of His name.

Can’t wait to see you published, TC! I am also still working on last year’s goal which was to learn how to put God first while writing and write in fellowship with Him. I made progress last year, but still have a ways to go. Will be exciting to see what God does in you and through you this year, TC!